State Jobs

Casper, WY (AP): Wyoming attorney general Greg Phillips says converting permanent state employees to at-will employees who can be fired without reason would require giving them compensation. Phillips tells state officials that permanent employees have a property right to continued employment. He says the state can change that if it makes a new offer and the employees accept it.

The Casper Star Tribune reports the Legislature's Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee discussed the issue Tuesday in Casper. A study commissioned by Gov. Matt Mead and the Legislature suggested 128 state employees could be changed to at-will status. It recommended they get a 6 percent one-time bonus and a 3 percent increase in base salary.

The study estimated the cost at about $500,000 the first year and about $255,000 annually after that.